Folding rule.



INo. 773,019. PATBNTBD 1130.20, 1904.

c. s. EVANS L H. PARKER. v

FOLDING RULE.

APPLIOATIONHLED .4.211.21, 1904.

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ll mwa@ UNITED STATES Patented December 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. EVANS AND HERBERT PARKER, OF WTALDEN, NEW YORK.

FOLDING RULE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,019, dated December20, 1904. Application filed April 2l, 1904. Serial No. 204,247.

To all whom, it Netty concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES S. EvANs and HERBERT PARKER, citizens ofthe United States, residing in Walden, Orange county, State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Rules, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates principally to folding rules such as commonlyused by carpenters and others, such rules being usually made of foursections hinged together; and its object is to provide the rule withsuitable means whereby it may be used when required as a square foreither inside or outside angles. To this end one of the rule-sections isprovided with ablade which may stand at right angles to the rulesectionand which may fold into parallelism therewith, so as not to be in theway when not required.

The invention consists in the provision'of a simple, reliable, andinexpensive construction for this purpose.

A valuable feature of the invention resides in the provision of apositive stop which limits the opening movement of the blade, so that itcannot pass beyond the right-angle position, whereby liability of errorsis avoided, and another feature of importance lies in the provision ofmeans whereby the angularity of the blade to the rule-section may befinely adjusted, so that in the process of manufacturing they may bebrought into exact rightangle relation and so that' the parts may besubsequently trued up from time to time, if required. The parts arepreferably seconstrueted that, if desired, the tool may be used as asquare simply by opening the blade without unfolding the rule. Thesection of the rule that carries the foldable blade is of novelconstruction, consisting principally of a pair of plates or strips ofmetal, between which the blade folds and to which the blade is pivotedat the free end of the rule-section, a blade-controlling spring beingalso confined between said plates and extending alongv one edge thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a face view, and Fig. 2 anedge view, of a earpenters rule made according to the present invention,the section provided with the foldable blade being shown open. Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 1, but showing` the square-bladeopen.` Figs. 4and 5 show details of mounting of the square-blade, parts being brokenaway to exhibit the construetion. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectionshowing the construction of the adjustable stop that limits the openingmovement of the square-blade. Fig. 7 illustrates the rule as entirelyfolded, but the square-blade as open, showing that the device may beused as a square without opening any rule-section.

In the several views like parts are identified by like signs.

Thile the invention is not limited to use upon a four-section rule, itis illustrated in connection therewith, sections 1 and Q being'connected by a hinge 3 and section 1 being connected by a main hinge 4to the remaining two sections 5, the latter being connected by a hinge6. Section 2, which, it will be observed, is an end section of the rule,consists principally of a pair of metal plates 7 8, riveted at theirinner ends by rivets 9 upon an intervening leaf 10, the latter being oneof the leaves of the hinge 3 and lying between the plates 7 8.

Between the plates at the free end of the rule-section is pivoted ablade 11, the pivot 12 being in the form of a rivet, which unites theends of the plates. The blade 11 normally folds between the plates andparallel therewith and preferably iiush with their outer edges, as atFig. 4, and is of such length as to reach to the hinge-leaf 10, so thatthe rulesection has a nearly unbroken edge. Also mounted between theplates7 8 is a spring 13 of Ythe same thickness as the leaf 10 andextending along the rule-section from said leaf to the free end of thesection, so that this side of the rule-section also presents an unbrokenedge, the plates 7 8 being secured by rivets 14 to the base or innerportion of the spring and the latter being formed with a finger 15,which normally bears against the tip of a short arm 16, formed upon thepivoted end of the blade 11 to hold the latter in normal position, as atFig. 4.

For convenience in opening the blade it is provided upon opposite sideswith nicks 17,

IOO

while adjacent to said nicks the plates 7 8 are provided with cut-aways18, Figs. 2, 3. When the blade is opened to i'ig'lit-aiigle position, asat Figs. 2, 5, and 7, its fui'ther movement is prevented by a stop 18,against which the slioi't arm 16 of the foldable blade is pressed by thespring-finger 15, which at Figs. 4; and 5 beai's upon opposite sides ofsaid short arm. r1 he positive stop for the blade is a featui'e of'coiisidei'able value, since it conduces matei'ially to the reliabilityof the implement when used as a square.

Preferably the stop 18 is so formed and mounted that it may be adjusted,and, as illustrated, it may consist of a cylindi'ical body confinedbetween the plates78, near the outer ends thei'eof, and having trunnions19 20, having bearings in the plates 7 8, whereby the stop may beadjusted by a rotative movement, and the body 18 is formed eccentricallyto said trunnions, so that by turning the same the angularity of theblade 11, which bears tliereagainst, may be nicely adjusted, and hencesaid blade may be brought exactly into a i'ight-angle relation with therule-section 2. rl`he trunnion 20 preferably projects through tlie plate8 and its projecting end squared at 21., so that it may be turned by theuse of a key or wrench, said projecting end occupying when the i'ule isfolded a recess or niche 22, formed in the rule-section 1, opposite towhich the i'ule-section 2 lies when the rule is folded. The stop,however, may be formed with other key-holds within the scope of theinvention. Preferably the trunnion 19 is riveted to the plate 7, as atFig. 6, so as to hold the stop firmly and prevent accidental disturbancethereof, the rivet not being so tight, however, as to prevent the stopfrom being' turned when foi'ce is applied thereto for that purpose. Itwill be perceived that in manufacturing the foldable blade may, by meansof the adjustable stop, be expeditiously brought to an exacti'iglitangle relation to the i'ule-section and that the adjustment soeffected will not be disturbed from ordinary causes in the use ofl therule, while at any time by readjusting the stop the blade may be againtrucd up.

As will be observed at Fig'. 7, the end section 2, which carries thefoldable blade 11, lies edgewise against another of therule-sectionsviZ. the section -while said blade opens from the outerside of said end section 2, so that the device may be used as a squarewithout unfolding any section of the i'ule, which is oftentimes a greatconvenience. As will be also understood from Fig. 3, the device may beused as either an outside or an inside square-that is to say, either itsoutside edges or its inside edges may be brought into use, as may berequired for use upon either outside or inside angles. rl`he stop 18 ofcoui'se determines mechanically the right-angle position of the bladeupon the latter being opened.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of tlie'invention andportions of theimpi'ovements may be used without others.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- 1. A folding i'uleconsisting of sections hinged together, one of said sections having'pivoted to its free end a blade that may turn from a position parallelwith said section to a position at right angles thereto, a spring beingprovided for holding said blade in either position, and a fixed stopbeing also provided against which said spring holds said blade when thelatter is open; said stop being adjustable to bring the blade into exactrightanglc relation with said section.

2. A rule having a folding blade and provided with an adjustableeccentric which serves to stop the blade when the latter is opened to aposition at right angles with the rule, and a spring to hold said bladeagainst the eccentric.

8. A i'ule-section comprising a pair of plates and an intermediatespring riveted together, a blade lying between said plates and pivotedthereto at the end of the rule-section and eapable'of turning' to aposition at right angles with the rule-section, and a stop against whichsaid spring presses said blade when the latter is open; said stop beingin the form of an eccentric mounted between said plates and having' akey-hold, whereby it may be tui'ned so as to bring said blade to exactright-angle relation with said rule-section.

4f. A folding rule consisting of sections hinged together, one of saidsections comprising a pair of plates connected together and anintermediate longitudinally-exteiidin g spring, and a blade confinedbetween said plates and )ivoted thereto at the end of the rule-sectionand capable of turning to a position at right angles to therule-section, and also a stop against which said spring presses saidblade when the latter is open; said stop being in the foi'm of aneccentric mounted between said plates and having a projecting stemwhereby it may be rotated, and the i'ule-section to which theblade-carrying section is hinged having a niche opposite to saidprojecting stem, for receiving the latter when the rule is said springpi'esses said blade' when the latter is open; said stop comprising abody and trunnions, the body being confined between said plates andbeing' eccentric to the trunnions, and the latter having bearings in theplates.

6. A rule-section compi'isingapair of plates and an intermediate spring,a blade lying' between said plates and pivoted thereto and capable ofturning to a position at right ang'les with the i'ule-section, and astop against which IIO 'said spring presses said blade when the latterSigned at VVitlden, New York, this 15th day is open; said stopcomprisinga body and trunof April, 1904. nions, the body being confinedbetween said i T plates and being eccentric to the trunnions; AIXITEBRSone trunnion being riveted `so as to hold the l trunnion where adjusted,and the other trun- VVitnesSes: nion being' provided with a key-holdwhereby IRVING H. LOUGHRAN, the trunnion and stop may be rotated. lLUTHER SAuMoNs.

